For Love or Marty
by Flaming Trails
Summary: Another short piece, set between Marty and Doc's conversation at the DeLorean and Doc's goodbye to Clara.


For Love or Marty

By Flaming Trails

A BTTF: Trilogy Story

Disclaimer: I don't own BTTF. If I did – you can see my website's pages about the Sims for details. ;)

Sunday, September 6th, 1885

Hill Valley, California

10: 49 P. M.

Dr. Emmett L. Brown was confused. More confused than he had ever been in his whole life. And that was saying a lot, considering all the different times he'd lived in.

He stared at the fire, trying to sort out his feelings. On the one hand, there was Clara. He loved Clara. Loved her like he had loved no other woman. She liked Jules Verne and science, just like he did. She had taught him the pure pleasure of having someone love you, just for you. It was like they were – soulmates. Soulmates that, before, had been cruelly separated by 100 years of time, but now brought together. He couldn't leave her now. Not when he'd finally found true love.

On the other hand, there was Marty. He loved Marty too. Not in the same way – _God help me if I ever start liking Marty like that! _But he still loved the teen. Marty shared his love of music and movies. He had taught him the pleasure of having a best friend – no. Of having a family. Marty would do anything for him, it appeared, even risk changing history to keep him alive. He couldn't leave him either. Not when he had a friendship that strong.

The problem was, he _had_ to leave one.

Doc glanced over at Marty. The teen had fallen into an exhausted sleep shortly before. Guilt flooded the scientist. _If it hadn't been for me and my infernal time machine, he'd be home safely in 1985. He'd probably be with Jennifer, camping out under the stars, not a care in the world. I've done too much to him already. I have to go with him tomorrow._

His gaze went up to the night sky. The stars reminded him of last night, when Clara had shown him the true wonders of the heavens. He thought about her with a sigh. Clara, gazing adoringly at him as he held her tightly. Clara, smiling brightly as they danced together. Clara, leaning in to kiss him. _How can I leave such pure love behind? I want to marry this woman. I have to stay with her._

_But Marty will be devastated if I stay. The whole reason he came back was to keep me dying before my time. Could he really leave me here?_

_Clara will be devastated if I go. She'll think that I – her true love – abandoned her. Great Scott, she might even commit suicide._

Angered by his indecision, Doc glared at the DeLorean._ Infernal machine!_ he thought viciously. _You've caused nothing but trouble since I conceived you! First you nearly destroy Marty, then you get us embroiled in a horrible alternate world, and finally you're forcing me to chose between the two people I love most! I wish I'd never hit my head on November 5th, 1955! Then I would have been spared all this!_

Doc discovered he was holding a rock and preparing to fling it at the object of his frustrations. He made himself drop it, struggling to regain control over his emotions. _You're being silly,_ he berated himself. _You can't blame an insentient machine for your troubles. All of our problems were caused by human error. If we'd acted more intelligently, we wouldn't be in this mess. And besides, some good has come out of it. Marty has a much better life now – as long as he doesn't race Needles on his return to 1985. And I met the love of my life._

Knowing that didn't make his problem any easier. He still had to chose. Marty or Clara.

Marty's thought about taking Clara with them popped into his head. _He's got a point. None of us belong here, including her. By taking her, we'd probably risk less disruption to the space-time continuum._

_Or maybe we could all just live here. I have for nine months, and it doesn't look like I've affected much. We could have a happy life here._

Doc hit his head. _Great Scott, what am I saying?! We can't live here! Besides the repercussions on the space-time continuum, I'd hurt Marty immeasurably! How could I force him to live 100 years in the past, and never see his girlfriend or his family again. I must have been temporarily insane._

_And I can't take Clara with us, either. Even though she's a plucky woman, she'd be too frightened by 100 years of progress. And I'd only be delaying her effects on the continuum. Taking her to 1985 could result in an even worse 2015. I simply cannot take that risk._

_You have to pick, Emmett. One or the other. Choose._

But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

Because how do you choose between your lover – and your son?

The End


End file.
